Cellulose-based beverage cartridge

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, apparatuses and articles of manufacture for cellulose-based multipurpose single-serve beverage cartridges. A cartridge in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure comprises a cartridge body body comprising a cellulose-based material, a filter, a beverage material, and a cover. The cellulose-based material may also be used for the cover, and reduces the leaching of potentially hazardous materials from similar plastic-based single-serve beverage cartridges.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure pertains generally to devices and methods relatedto single-serve beverage brewers, and more particularly tocellulose-based single-serve beverage cartridges.

In recent years, single-serve beverage brewers (e.g., those made byKeurig Green Mountain, Inc., of Waterbury, Vt. and other manufacturers)have become popular among consumers. Single-serve beverage brewers, withtheir corresponding specialized packages of coffee, tea, or otherbeverage materials, have become a significant segment of the beverageindustry.

Single-serve beverage brewers pump fluid from a reservoir to a heatertank for heating, and then deliver the heated fluid to a beverageformation chamber, such as a brew head. The beverage formation chambermay be configured to hold a single-serve beverage container, pod, orcartridge (also referred to as a “cartridge” or a “beverage cartridge”herein) containing a beverage medium, e.g., coffee grounds, tea leaves,cocoa mix, dried soup, etc., for mixing with the fluid to make abeverage. Such a cartridge may be referred to as a “K-cup®,” or softpod. In some cartridges, the coffee grounds or other beverage medium canbe held within, above, or on a filter within the cartridge if desired.Although referred to as “single-serve” cartridges, such cartridges mayprovide multiple servings of a beverage.

Single-serve brewers may employ specialized cartridges, e.g., cartridgeswith a particular shape, encoded with special characters or codes, etc.,such that only certain cartridges may be employed in a particularbrewer. The specialized package of coffee, tea, or other beveragematerials used in single-serve brewers is most often a closed plasticcup with the beverage material inside, sealed with aluminum foil orother type of cover. Specialized inks are used to print on the plasticand/or aluminum foil to indicate the type of beverage material inside,lot numbers, etc. The cover is often attached to the plastic cup with anadhesive. The cartridges may include a filter inside the plastic cup toreduce and/or minimize the amount of beverage material (e.g., coffeegrounds, tea leaves, etc.) that are transferred from the cartridge to amug, cup, and/or other receptacle that a person would use for drinkingthe resultant beverage. The cartridges may also be pressurized with aninert gas, such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, to reduce oxidationand/or other degradation of the beverage material prior to use in thesingle-serve brewer.

To make a beverage, heated fluid, often water, is delivered underpressure to the cartridge via one or more inlet needles, and after thefluid passes through the beverage material is removed from the cartridgevia an exit nozzle. As such, the cartridge must be able to withstand theoperational temperatures and pressures that are present during brewing.

Over pressurization of the single-serve cartridge may cause thecartridge to rupture. If pressure inside of the cartridge becomes toogreat, the adhesive between the plastic cup and cover may be breached,the cover may rupture, and/or the cup portion of the cartridge maycrack, causing the beverage material and/or fluid to overflow. Suchevents, sometimes referred to as “blowouts,” may also occur if thebeverage material (e.g., coffee grounds, tea leaves, etc.) enter theconduits that are designed to carry fluid, which creates a flow stoppagein the single-serve brewer. Since the pump continues to pump fluid intoa blocked conduit, greater than normal pressure is exerted on areaswithin the brewing system, and the fluid is expelled from thesingle-serve brewer in undesirable locations.

Because the cartridge is also exposed to heat from the fluid, and indirect contact with the heated fluid, consumers are concerned that thematerials used in manufacturing the plastic cup may break down under theheat and pressure of the single-serve brewer. Plastic is a polymermatrix; at single-serve brewer operational temperatures, portions(monomers) of the polymer chain disengage from the polymer matrix. Thesemonomers are in direct contact with a heated liquid that leaches themonomers into the liquid, and thus may be delivered along with theliquid into a beverage. The consumer may then ingestings thesechemicals, e.g., Bisphenol-A (BPA), other monomers, or other potentiallyhazardous substances, without being aware that they are doing so.

After the brewing process, some cartridges are difficult to recycle. Thedesign of some cartridges does not allow for easy and/or convenientseparation into recyclable, non-recyclable, and/or compostablecomponents. Since approximately 10 billion single-serve containers areproduced each year, this design oversight may contribute greatly toenvironmental issues. Some approaches have been made to make the plasticcup portion out of a material that is recyclable. For example, ratherthan using “#7” (Other) plastic material, suggestions have been made touse polypropylene (PP) which is a “#5” material and acceptable asrecycling in many locales. However, such an approach does not fullyaddress the recycling issue, as the cartridge is still not readilydisassembled to recycle the plastic portion. Further, PP still suffersfrom monomer breakdown and potential health risks associated withplastic cartridges.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure comprise methods and apparatuses foraiding in the recyclable and/or compostable nature of the materialspresent in single-serve beverage cartridges. Other aspects of thepresent disclosure comprise reducing health risks associated withcurrent single-serve cartridges.

A cartridge in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure maycomprise a cartridge body having a closed end and an open end, the openend having a first diameter at an upper edge of the open end, thecartridge body comprising a cellulose-based material, in which thecartridge body is adapted to be received in a receptacle of asingle-serve brewer such that the closed end of the cartridge body ispiercable by a needle in the single-serve brewer; a filter, coupled tothe cartridge body at the open end, such that the filter extends belowthe upper edge of the open end of the cartridge body; a beveragematerial, coupled to the filter such that the beverage material extendsbelow the upper edge of the open end of the cartridge body; and a cover,coupled to the cartridge body, such that the cover encapsulates thebeverage material within the cartridge body between the filter and thecover, the cover adapted to be pierced by a fluid nozzle in thesingle-serve brewer.

The above summary has outlined, rather broadly, some features andtechnical advantages of the present disclosure in order that thedetailed description that follows may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages of the disclosure will be described below. Itshould be appreciated that this disclosure may be readily utilized as abasis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out thesame purposes of the present disclosure. It should also be realized thatsuch equivalent constructions do not depart from the teachings of thedisclosure. The novel features, which are believed to be characteristicof the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation,together with further objects and advantages, will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, thateach of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration anddescription only and is not intended as a definition of the limits ofthe present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a beverage systemaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for recycling a beverage cartridge asdescribed in the related art.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a single-serve beveragecartridge in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate exploded perspective views of a single-servebeverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a single-serve beveragecartridge in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates a controller in accordance with an aspect of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 9A illustrates a cross-sectional view of a beverage cartridge inaccordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9B illustrates a top view of a beverage cartridge in accordancewith an aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a filter design in accordance with an aspect of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates a filter design in accordance with an aspect of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed toward single-serve cartridges thatare able to withstand the operational conditions of single-serve brewingdevices that are also more readily recycled than current cartridges. Asingle-serve cartridge in accordance with an aspect of the disclosurealso may mitigate health risks associated with current cartridgematerials.

Embodiments of the disclosure are described herein with reference tocross-sectional view illustrations that are schematic illustrations ofembodiments of the disclosure. As such, the actual dimensions ofelements can be different, and variations from the shapes of theillustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniquesand/or tolerances are expected. Embodiments of the disclosure should notbe construed as limited to the particular shapes of the regionsillustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result,for example, from manufacturing. A region illustrated or described assquare or rectangular may have slightly rounded or curved features dueto normal manufacturing tolerances. Thus, the regions illustrated in thefigures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended toillustrate the precise shape of a region of a device and are notintended to limit the scope of the disclosure. It is understood that theshapes, sizes, and locations in the attached figures may not be toscale.

Overview

A single-serve cartridge in an aspect of the present disclosure maywithstand broader operational characteristics, e.g., temperature,pressure, etc., than current cartridges. Such a cartridge may preventand/or reduce blowouts and/or other over pressurization issues, whichmay increase clean-up efforts and endanger users.

The present disclosure, in an aspect of the present disclosure, maymitigate the lack of sustainable design for single-serve beveragecartridge (e.g., K-cup®) materials and designs. An embodiment of thepresent disclosure seals the filter and the cover together, with thebeverage material inbetween. This assembly may be removed from theexternal cup (also referred to as “container” herein) and the beveragematerial is then contained within the assembly. The external cup is thencompletely separated from the cover, filter, and beverage material, andcould be recycled. The cover/filter/beverage material can be compostedor discarded as desired. Through selection of the adhesives or methodsof attachment used to attach the cover to the filter, and the combinedcover/filter to the plastic cup, pulling on the cover will separate thecover/filter from the external cup as a unit. This aspect of the presentdisclosure allows the beverage material to be removed as a whole, andmaintains the convenience of the single-serve cartridge design whileintroducing conservation and ecological sustainability into single-servebeverage systems.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the external cup materialsmay be altered to reduce and/or eliminate leaching of monomers into theresultant beverage. Current external cup materials employ plasticmaterials for the external cup, which when exposed to operationaltemperatures of single-serve brewing systems will leach variousundesirable materials into the beverage to be consumed.

System Description

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a beverage systemaccording to an aspect of the present disclosure. In an aspect of thepresent disclosure, system 100, includes pump 102 that can be configuredto pump unheated fluid, e.g., water, from a reservoir 104 to a heater106, which heats the water to a desired temperature for delivery to abrew head 108. The brew head 108 includes a receptacle 110 that canhouse a cartridge 112 containing a single-serve or a multi-serve amountof a beverage material 114, e.g., coffee grounds, tea, hot chocolate,lemonade, etc., for producing a beverage dispensed from the brew head108. The beverage can be dispensed into a container 116, e.g., mug,carafe, etc. which can be placed on a platen 118.

The reservoir 104 may store fluid 120, e.g., ambient temperature water,that may be used to brew a serving and/or multiple servings of beverage(e.g., coffee) in accordance with the embodiments and processesdisclosed herein. The fluid 120 may exit the reservoir 104 during thebrew process via an outlet 122 at the bottom of reservoir 104. The fluid120 may exit the reservoir 104 from locations other than the bottom,such as the sides or the top such as via a reservoir 104 pickupextending down into the reservoir 104, or other locations as desired orfeasible. In an aspect of the present disclosure, the reservoir 104includes a water level sensor 124 and/or other sensors (not shown) todetect whether the reservoir 104 is sealed by the lid, has a low waterlevel, or other conditions, and may interact with brewer 100 circuitryto prevent initiation of a brew cycle in the event there are undesirableconditions present in brewer 100. The reservoir 104 may be replaced byother fluid 120 sources, such as a water tap connection.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, the pump 102 pressurizes and/orpumps fluid 120 from the reservoir 104 to the cartridge 112 and/or pumpsair to purge remaining fluid 120 and/or brewed beverage from thebeverage system 100. In such an aspect, the pump 102 initially pumpsfluid 120 from the reservoir 104 through a first conduit 126 to theheater tank 106 where the fluid 120 is heated to a predeterminedtemperature before delivery to the cartridge 112 to brew the beveragematerial 114 into beverage 128. At, near, or after the end of the brewcycle, the pump 102 pumps air through the beverage system 100 to purgeany remaining fluid 120 or beverage 128 in brewing system 100. As such,the pump 102 is able to operate in both wet and dry conditions, i.e.,the pump 102 can switch between pumping water and air without undue wearand tear, although separate pumps for water and air are possible withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. Many variables existwithin brewing system 100 that may affect the overall performance ofbrewing system 100. Each of these variables may be at least partiallyaccounted for through processor 800 to produce a more consistentperformance in beverage system 100.

Once pierced by nozzle 140, each cartridge 112 provides resistance tothe flow of fluid through cartridge 112 to mug 116. This resistancevaries based on, among other things, the beverage medium withincartridge 112. For example, and not by way of limitation, bouillonwithin cartridge 112 may provide less resistance to fluid flow thanground coffee, because bouillon dissolves in the heated fluid 120 fromnozzle 140 while coffee grounds do not.

The pressure drop across the beverage material 114 can result in backpressure against the outlet of check valve 132. If this back pressure ishigh enough (e.g., equal to or greater than the difference in pressurebetween the inlet and outlet of the check valve 132), check valve 132may close, or cartridge 112 (or filter paper that is internal tocartridge 112) may be “blown out” by the pressure created by theincoming pressure of the heated fluid through nozzle 140.

Cartridge Construction

FIG. 2 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure. Cartridge 112 comprises a cartridge body 200, afilter 202, and a cover 204. Although current cartridge bodies 200 aremade from various types of plastic, in an aspect of the presentdisclosure, cartridge body 200 may comprise of a cellulose-basedmaterial.

Filter 202 is inserted into cartridge body 200 and may be adhered tocartridge body 200 at ridge 206. Sides 208 of filter 202 may be pleatedor otherwise shaped to fit within a shape of cartridge body 200. Forexample, and not by way of limitation, cartridge body 200 may befrustoconical in shape, and filter 202 may be pleated along the sides208 such that the top of filter 202 sides 208 may be adhered to ridge206 while sides 208 are proximate the frustoconical shape of thecartridge body 200. The shape and/or depth of filter 202 allows for aspace 210 (“X”) to reside between a bottom 212 of cartridge body 200 andbottom 214 of filter 202. Space 216, (“X-Delta”) is the depth to whichoutlet needle 158 penetrates into cartridge body 200. Space 210 is oftenlarger than space 216, to ensure that outlet needle 158 does not piercefilter 202, which would allow beverage material 114 to be delivered outof outlet needle 158 to mug 116 (as shown in FIG. 1).

Cover 204 is adhered to rim 218 with adhesive 220. Adhesive 220, andadhesive 222 used to adhere filter 202 to cartridge body 200, may be asonic welding adhesion, and/or an adhesive material, which couples cover204 to cartridge body 200. Cover 204 provides a substantially air-tightseal such that beverage material 114 is not exposed to air, which mayoxidize beverage material. Further, cover 204, when adhered to cartridgebody 200, may allow for an inert gas, such as nitrogen, to be containedwithin cartridge 112 to further reduce oxidation and/or otherdegradation of beverage material 114 between the time beverage material114 is packaged in cartridge 112 and used in brewing system 100. Such areduction in degradation of beverage material 114 may improve the flavorand/or consistency of beverage 128 produced in brewing system 100.

Cartridge Body Material

Cartridge 122, and in particular cartridge body 200, is often made fromplastic. Plastic materials may be categorized to by their “recyclingnumber” which is often stamped or otherwise imprinted on plasticmaterials to indicate the type of plastic used in making a specificcontainer. Depending on the recycling number, plastic materials may ormay not be recyclable.

Plastic #1, Polyethylene Terephthalate (sometimes referred to as “PETE”or “PET”), is often clear or transparent and used to make soda and/orwater bottles. Plastic #2, High Density Polyethylene, (sometimesreferred to as “HDPE”) is often opaque, and may be used to manufacturemilk jugs, household cleaner containers, juice bottles, shampoo bottles,and box liner bags. Plastic #3, vinyl (also known as polyvinylchloride,or referred to as “V” or “PVC”), may be used in food wrapping materials,plumbing pipes, and detergent bottles. Plastic #4, Low DensityPolyethylene (sometimes referred to as “LDPE”) may be found insqueezable bottles, shopping bags, and/or food wrapping materials.

Plastic #5, Polypropylene (also referred to as “PP” or “polypro”) may beused in making yogurt containers, and/or food packaging bottles. Plastic#6, Polystyrene (sometimes referred to as “PS” or “Styrofoam”) may befound in compact disc cases, egg cartons, meat trays, and/or disposableplates and cups. Plastic #7 is a “miscellaneous” category, where plasticresins or mixtures of plastic resins that do not fit into categories 1-6are placed. Plastic #7 may include polycarbonates, and may be used tomanufacture sunglasses, computer cases, nylon, and/or other goods.

Depending on the material used to manufacture cartridge body 200,cartridge body 200 may be recyclable. Although all plastics aretheoretically recyclable, many curbside recycling programs will notaccept some plastics, e.g., plastic #6, plastic #7, etc., as recyclablematerials.

Further, some plastics may contain chemicals that may leach from thebody 200 material under certain conditions. For example, plastic #3 maycontain Bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate, or DEHA. DEHA has been demonstratedto induce liver adenomas and carcinomas in mice, and many peopleconsider DEHA to be a human health risk. As another example, plastic #7may contain bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA is also potentially toxic in humans,as BPA is considered to be a hormone disruptor linked to infertility,hyperactivity, reproductive problems, and other health issues.

Depending on the brewing system 100, several different beverages 128 maybe produced. Many brewing systems are able to recognize differences incartridge 112 to change the brewing conditions, including brewing time,temperature, and pressure. To brew coffee, for example, fluid 120 may beheated to 190° F. and introduced into cartridge 112 for several minutesat a lower pressure. For espresso-style beverages 128, fluid 120 may beheated to approximately 210° F. and introduced into cartridge 112 for ashorter period of time at a higher pressure. Some brewing processes mayinclude fluid 120 temperatures above 212° F. when steam is injectedthrough nozzle 140. These time, temperature, and pressure variables mayalso be user-selected. As such, cartridge 112, and thus cartridge body200, may be exposed to a range of temperatures and pressures, and therange of temperatures and pressures may or may not be known prior tocartridge body 200 use. Further, such temperatures and/or pressures maycause degradation of the cartridge body 200 plastic material, resultingin distortion of the cartridge body 200 shape and/or release of leachedmaterials from the cartridge body 200 into the beverage 128.

Cellulose-based materials that may be employed for the cartridge body200 in an aspect of the present disclosure include, but are not limitedto, recycled paper, paper, organic materials such as plants, etc., andother materials. Such materials may include binding material, such asstarches, glue, etc., and/or materials that increase the ability ofcartridge body to withstand the conditions of brewer 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for recycling a beverage cartridge asdescribed in the related art. As shown in FIG. 3, a process 300 forrecycling K-cup® cartridges 112 (also known as “pods”) is illustrated.Block 302 indicates that cover 204 should be peeled from cartridge body200 after cartridge 112 has cooled. Cover 204 is grasped by the puncture(hole) in cover 204 made by inlet nozzle 140 and removed from cartridgebody 200. Cover 204 is to be disposed after removal.

In block 304, beverage material 114 is to be emptied from cartridge body200. Beverage material 114 may be composted or disposed of. Filter 202(not shown in FIG. 3) is described as remaining in cartridge body 200.

In block 306, cartridge body 200 is described as being made from Plastic#5, which is polypropylene, and can be recycled once cover 204 isremoved and beverage material 114 is emptied out of cartridge body 200.

However, the related art as shown in FIG. 3 does not provide atime-effective and/or method for recycling cartridge body 200. The usermust remove the cover 204 from a hole that is approximately 0.2 inchesin diameter, which is inconvenient, and remove the beverage material 114separately. Further, the cover 204 is difficult to remove from thecartridge body 200 in a single piece, since the user will likely tearout a section of cover 204 from the puncture towards the edge of cover204. Having to remove the beverage material 114 separately from thecover merely adds to the inconvenience of the related art method.

Further, and perhaps more importantly, the related art method does notaddress the decomposition of cartridge body 200 during the operationalconditions of beverage system 100. Current cartridge body 200 materials,which are plastic #7, may deform from their originalthermoplastically-set shape when exposed to fluid 120 at 205° F. Plastic#5, which may have a higher melting point than plastic #7, still mayleach materials into beverage 128. Nothing is mentioned in the relatedart about binders and/or fillers that may be included in plastic #5 whenused in cartridge body 200, and how these binders and/or fillers mayalso be leached into beverage 128.

The physical processes that occur during thermal decomposition ofpolymers and/or plastics depends at least in part on the material beingused. Further, thermosetting and thermoplastic materials do not oftenhave a well-defined phase transformation at a specified temperature.Instead, thermoplastic and thermosetting materials have a second-ordertransition between solid and liquid phases.

For example, and not by way of limitation, thermosetting andthermoplastic materials do not have a single transition curve.Polypropylene (Plastic #5) is 65% crystalline, and has a crystallinemelting temperature of 170 degrees Centigrade. Because polypropylene isnot 100% crystalline, it is considered as partially amorphous and, thus,is a fluid that, over periods of time, will flow into different shapesand has internal flow within the structure, even at room temperatures.This characteristic of polypropylene, and/or other thermosetting andthermoplastic materials, is similar to window glass, as both materialsare amorphous.

For amorphous and/or semi-amorphous materials, the transition from aglass state to a soft and/or malleable state is called theglass-transition region, and begins occurring at a temperature known asthe glass transition temperature. This property of thermoplasticmaterials is what allows these materials to be formed through the use ofheat, and then cooled to the point where they are rigid and in thedesired shape. As an example, the cartridge body 200 may begin as a flatsheet of plastic, but is formed into the frustoconical shape of thecartridge body 200 by addition of heat and/or pressure to form the shapeof cartridge body 200. Depending on the binding and/or filler materialsused, the “polypropylene” material may have a large number of transitioncurves and thus leach at different rates for a given temperature.

Many materials also desorb adsorbed fluids (e.g., water) at elevatedtemperatures. The activation energy for physical desorption of water is30-40 kilojoules (kJ) per mol, and desorption begins occurring attemperatures below 212° F. Polypropylene has a glass transitiontemperature of negative 4 (−4)° F. This means that at room temperaturepolypropylene has internal fluidic migrations of materials, i.e., the35% of material in polypropylene that is not crystalline, even thoughthese migrations are not visible to the human eye.

Further, when cartridge body 200 is exposed to the operationalconditions of brewing system 100, cartridge body 200 may be in directcontact with fluid 120 at temperatures between 145-212° F. for severalminutes. The fluidic motion of the non-crystalline materials withincartridge body 200, as well as the crystalline polypropylene itself,and/or any fillers and/or binders used in cartridge body 200, would thusbe raised even further above the glass transition temperature, andbecome fluid in the classical sense. The fluid 120 is also pressurizedagainst the cartridge body 200, and the combination of pressure andtemperature conditions present in brewing system 100 may create leachingof some of the cartridge body 200 material and/or the fillers and/orbinders present in the cartridge body 200 material into beverage 128.

FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a single-serve beveragecartridge in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. InFIG. 4, filter 202 may be attached to cover 204 by adhesive 400. Cover204 may also be made of a cellulose-based material, and may be made of adifferent cellulose-based material than cartridge body 200 withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. Portion 402 offilter 202 is then coupled to rim 218 of cartridge body 200, rather thanbeing coupled to ridge 206. This may simplify the manufacture ofcartridge 112, as filter 202 may be coupled to cover 204 prior toattachment of the then combined filter 202/cover 204 to cartridge body200. For example, and not by way of limitation, beverage material 114may be sandwiched in a pod comprising filter 202 and cover 204 (as wellas other layers of material if desired), and these pods may then becoupled to rim 218 of cartridge body 200. As long as the bottom 214 offilter 202 would not be pierced by needle 158, the attachment of filter202 to cover 204 rather than to the ridge 206 of cartridge body 200 isnot critical to the operation of cartridge 112 in beverage system 100.

Because single-serve cartridges 112 are designed to be pierced on thebottom 212 of cartridge body 200, filter 202 is designed to holdbeverage material 114 above the level of the needle 158 at alllocations. If cartridges 112 were designed to be pierced on the cover204 for both the inlet nozzle 140 and the outlet needle 158, filter 202would have no such restriction for having a bottom 214 that sits adistance 210 away from bottom 212. Some cartridges that may be used formulti-serve brewing, such as K-carafe® cartridges, are designed to bepierced on the cover by a second needle for delivering the beverage 128to mug 116 and are not pierced on the bottom by outlet needle 158. Suchcartridges are not considered single-serve cartridges 112, and are notcompatible with all brewing systems 100 in the single-serve brewingmarket. Further, such multi-serving and/or multi-serve cartridges havenot been as well accepted in the marketplace as the single-servecartridges 112 that are pierced on the bottom 212 of cartridge body 200,because the multi-serve cartridges are less convenient than thesingle-serve cartridges 112. However, such multi-serve cartridges arealso considered to be “single-serve” cartridges 112 for the purposes ofthis disclosure.

Adhesive 400 may be the same adhesive material as adhesive 220, or maybe a different adhesive depending on the materials used in filter 202,cover 204, and cartridge body 200, and/or other considerations asdesired. In an aspect of the present disclosure, cover 204 may includetab 404, which extends beyond an outer circumference of rim 218 ofcartridge body 200. Tab 404 provides a gripping surface for cover 204,such that cover 204 may be removed from rim 218, rather than attemptingto pull cover 204 away from rim 218 via a pierced hole as described withrespect to FIG. 3.

Since cover 204 is now coupled to filter 202, pulling tab 404 mayseparate filter 202 and cover 404 from cartridge body 200 together,rather than leaving filter 202 in cartridge body 200 as described withrespect to FIG. 3. Further, because filter 202 and cover 404 are coupledtogether, either via adhesive 400 and/or by other methods, beveragematerial 114 is contained within the combination of filter 202 and cover204. In many beverage systems 100, beverage material 114 has been purgedof most of the fluid 120 used to brew beverage 128 by pumping airthrough beverage material 114, so removing beverage material 114 alongwith filter 202 and cover 204 is easier to perform than the methoddescribed in FIG. 3.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, filter 202 may be madefrom a biodegradable material, compostable material and/orcellulose-based material. Cover 204 may also be made from abiodegradable material, compostable material and/or cellulose-basedmaterial. For example, and not by way of limitation, filter 202 may bemade from paper, and cover 204 may be made from a biodegradable plasticor plant-based material. As such, the combination of filter 202, cover204, and beverage material 114 may be entirely biodegradable,compostable, and/or recyclable. Once separated from cartridge body 200,the combination of filter 202, cover 204, and beverage material 114 maythen be used as compost, while cartridge body 200 may then be recycledas plastic and/or other compostable material such as paper. Such anapproach is far simpler, and far more environmentally-friendly, than therelated art approach of FIG. 3.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, filter 220 may comprise tab406, either alternatively or in conjunction with tab 404 of cover 204.Tab 406 allows for filter 202 to be pulled or otherwise separated fromcartridge body 200 when the combination of filter 202, cover 204, andbeverage material 114 are removed from cartridge body 200. Tabs 404and/or 406 may provide additional strength to the bond, connection,and/or coupling between filter 202 and cover 204, and an additionalmeans for providing force to remove the combination of filter 202, cover204, and beverage material 114 from cartridge body 200.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate exploded perspective views of a single-servebeverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect of the presentdisclosure. Cartridge 112 is shown with cover 204, filter 202, andcartridge body 200. Tabs 404 and 406 are shown, however, as describedabove, aspects of the present disclosure may have only one of such tabs404 and/or 406 present as desired. Sides 208 of filter 202 are shown asbeing pleated in FIG. 5, although such pleating is optional in anyaspect of the present disclosure.

A location where inlet nozzle 140 may pierce cover 204 is shown aslocation 500. Cover 204 may be coupled to filter 202 as shown by arrow502. This may make a combined unit 504, which may then be inserted intocartridge body 200 as shown by arrow 506. As shown in FIG. 6, part offilter 202, i.e., portion 402, may overlap rim 218. As cover 204 iscoupled to filter 202, either as shown by arrow 600 or as a unit 504described with respect to FIG. 5, cover 204 is coupled to rim 218 ofcartridge body 200. Tabs 404 and/or 406 may be used to remove filter 202and cover 204 from cartridge body 200 while allowing filter 202 andcover 204 to substantially remain coupled together.

FIG. 7 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a single-serve beveragecartridge in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. Aswith FIG. 4, filter is not coupled to ridge 206 as in the related art.In the aspect of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 7, a liner 700 isplaced between the inner surface of cartridge body 200 and filter 202.Liner 700 may comprise tab 702, which may be used alone or inconjunction with tabs 404 and 406 as described with respect to FIG. 4.

Liner 700 limits the direct contact between fluid 120 that is introducedinto cartridge 112 and cartridge body 200. Because cartridge body 200may leach chemicals and/or other materials into beverage 128, and bedelivered via needle 158, liner 700 reduces the possibilities that suchleaching will occur. Although heated fluid 120 will still likely leachmaterial from cartridge body 200 through thermal exchange with cartridgebody 200, liner 700 reduces and/or eliminates the pathways for suchleached material from exiting cartridge 112 through needle 158 as partof beverage 158. Although liner 700 is shown as being substantiallysimilar in shape to cartridge body 200, e.g., conforming to the side andbottom of cartridge body 200, liner 700 may take any shape as desiredthat limits the contact between fluid 120 and the inner wall ofcartridge body 200.

FIG. 8 illustrates a controller in accordance with an aspect of thepresent disclosure. The brewer 10 can include a controller or otherprocessing unit, such as a microcontroller 800, shown schematically inFIG. 8. The microcontroller 800 may include an internal memory 802and/or external memory 804 and can serve many different functions. Forexample, in one embodiment, the microcontroller 102 may serve toregulate the power provided to the pump 102, control system 100 throughreadings from sensor 124 and/or other sensors within system 100, acceptinput from user controls 806, or other controlling and/or monitoringfunctions. Many different functions are possible without departing fromthe scope of the present disclosure.

The memory, which may be internal memory 802 or external memory 804 tomicrocontroller 800, may be implemented in firmware and/or softwareimplementation. The firmware and/or software implementationmethodologies may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures,functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. Amachine-readable medium tangibly embodying instructions may be used inimplementing the methodologies described herein. For example, softwarecodes may be stored in a memory and executed by a processor unit (e.g.,microcontroller 800). Memory may be implemented within the processorunit or external to the processor unit. As used herein, the term“memory” refers to types of long term, short term, volatile,nonvolatile, and/or other non-transitory memory and is not to be limitedto a particular type of memory or number of memories, or type of mediaupon which memory is stored.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a recyclable beverage cartridge in accordancewith an aspect of the present disclosure. FIG. 9A shows filter 900located at a distance 900 from side 208 of the cartridge body 200.Distance 902 is a known distance, and may be approximately 0.25 inches,because cartridge body 200 is designed to fit within receptacle 110 inany orientation, and the outlet needle 158 is in a fixed location withinreceptacle 110. As such, a toroidal volume may be defined by filter 900,having a height at least as high as dimension 216, with a tolerance forthe location of the toroid such that filter 900 is not pierced and/orotherwise compromised by needle 158 when needle 158 pierces cartridgebody 200.

Further, cartridge body 200 may be made from paper, pulp, celluloseand/or celluloid material, plant fibers, or other natural, renewable,recyclable, and/or compostable products, such that once the cartridge112 has been used (i.e., nozzle 140 has pierced cover 204 and deliveredfluid to cartridge 112 and beverage material 114 to brew a beverage128), the entire cartridge 112 may be placed in a compost pile ratherthan separating cover 204 from cartridge body 200. As shown in FIG. 9B,filter 900 covers a cylindrical volume within cartridge 112, such thatregardless of the orientation of cartridge 112 when placed in system100, outlet nozzle 158 will pierce bottom 212 of cartridge 112 on oneside of filter 900 while beverage material 114 is on an opposite side offilter 900.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, cartridge body 200 may be madefrom wood pulp and/or recycled paper products, which may be combinedwith food-safe binders such as starches and/or sugars, and/or otheradhesives and/or binders that are safe for interactions with consumedproducts. To minimize leaching of flavors or other possibly undesirableliquids and/or solids from cartridge body 200 in such cases, an optionalliner 904, which may be made of a different material than cartridge body200, e.g., metal foil, a different natural, plant, and/or combination ofmaterials, and/or may have a different density than cartridge body 200,such that contact between fluids entering cartridge 112 and cartridgebody 200 are reduced when compared to cartridges 112 that do not includeoptional liner 904. Optional liner 904 may further comprise an optionalportion 906 and/or optional tab 908 without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure. The inclusion of liner 904 may minimize and/orprevent seepage of any flavors, binders, and/or other by-products fromcartridge body 200, similar to how liner 700 minimizes leaching ofby-products when cartridge body 200 is made from plastic.

Liners 700 and/or 900 may be made from various materials; metal foil,plastic, paper, natural materials, etc. Liners 700 and/or 900 mayprovide several advantages and/or functions to cartridge 112. Forexample, and not by way of limitation, liner 700 and/or 900 may providea hermetic and/or semi-hermetic seal for a portion of cartridge 112,such that beverage material 114 contained within cartridge 112 issubstantially separated from outside air and/or other contaminants oroxidizing materials. Depending on the material used for cartridge 112,cartridge 112 may already provide a hermetic and/or semi-hermetic seal.Further, and not by way of limitation, liner 700 and/or 900, either inaddition to or in the alternative, may provide a barrier between anyliquid introduced into cartridge 112 and the cartridge body 200, suchthat the liquid introduced into cartridge 112 does not substantiallycontact cartridge body 200. Such liners 700 and/or 900 may also preventany liquids, gasses, or fluids produced by the heat, pressure, and/orother operational conditions within beverage system 100 that areexperienced by cartridge 112 from being delivered to mug 116 along withbeverage 128.

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate filter designs in accordance with an aspectof the present disclosure. Filter 900 may take any shape desired, and,as shown in FIG. 10, may be conical in shape rather than adopting thefrustoconical shape of cartridge body 200 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4-7.So long as filter 900 is not pierced by needle 158, filter 900 may takeany desired shape, which may alter the brewing considerations and/orpossibilities for various beverage materials 114. For example, and notby way of limitation, allowing filter 900 to reach the bottom ofcartridge body 200, either as a conical shape shown in FIG. 10 or as astepped frustoconical shape shown in FIG. 11, fluid introduced intocartridge 112 will remain in contact with beverage material 114 presentfor a longer period of time before being delivered to mug 116 via needle158. Further, a different type of beverage material 114 may be placed involume 910, which may also be separated from beverage material 114 by asecond filter, to produce a hybrid-brewed beverage of the two beveragematerials 114 present in cartridge 112. Such combinations and/or timeduration of fluid/beverage material 114 contact differences are notpossible in the related art, as the time duration is driven by fluidflow rates determined by pump 102. By allowing fluid from inlet nozzle140 to remain in contact with beverage material 114 for a longer periodof time, additional and/or other oils, flavors, and/or essences may beremoved from beverage material 114 without requiring design changes tobeverage system 100 or programming pump 102 to deliver fluid to nozzle140 at different rates.

Craft Brewing Techniques

FIG. 12 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure. Cartridge 112 may also comprise a mechanism 1200that may move, tighten, loosen, or otherwise interface with beveragematerial 114 once inlet nozzle 140 is inserted into cartridge 112. Somesystems 100 have inlet nozzles 140 that move and/or rotate afterpiercing cover 204. Depending on the settings and/or programming of suchsystems 100, inlet nozzle 140 can rotate in one direction for a firstset of settings, and a second direction for a second set of settings. Assuch, mechanism 1200 may be selectively engaged by inlet nozzle 140based on the direction of movement and/or rotation of inlet nozzle 140.

For example, and not by way of limitation, inlet nozzle 140 may comprisea tab 1202 that only engages mechanism 1200 when inlet nozzle 140rotates in a clockwise direction. One side of tab 1202 may provide asurface that mechanism 1200 catches on and tightens when inlet nozzle140 rotates in a clockwise direction, while another side of tab 1202 isa ramp or incline that will not engage mechanism 1200 when inlet nozzle1200 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction. System 100 may allow foruser input or automatic selection based on recognition and/or otheridentification of cartridge 112 to program the inlet nozzle 140 torotate clockwise, which will allow tab 1202 to engage mechanism 1200during brewing, or may allow for user input to program the inlet nozzle140 to rotate counter-clockwise, which will avoid engagement ofmechanism 1200 during brewing. Other types of engagement between inletnozzle 140 and mechanism 1200 are possible without departing from thescope of the present disclosure.

If mechanism 1200 is engaged, a first set of conditions, such aspressure, temperature, volume, etc., for beverage material 114 will becreated by mechanism 1200. If mechanism 1200 is not engaged, a secondset of conditions for beverage material 114 is created, which may besimilar to the set of conditions created by system 100 when mechanism1200 is not present within cartridge 112.

Mechanism 1200, which is shown as a torsion spring, but may be anymechanism, may provide conditions for brewing that system 100 could nototherwise attain. For craft coffee beverages, e.g., “French press”coffee, “pour over” coffee, etc., system 100 may not be able to providethe pressure conditions within cartridge 112 without the use ofmechanism 1200. If mechanism 1200 is not engaged, system 100 wouldproduce a beverage similar to if not identical to the beverage producedif mechanism 1200 is not present. However, if mechanism 1200 is engagedduring brewing, different pressures, localized temperatures, reducedvolumes, etc., may produce a different beverage from the same cartridge112.

Although mechanism 1200 is shown as a torsion spring, other mechanismsare possible within the scope of the present disclosure. Further,beverage material 114 may be located at specific locations withincartridge 112, such as along the side 208, along the bottom 212, etc.,such that the combination of type of mechanism 1200 and placement ofbeverage material 114 within cartridge 112 provides operationaladvantages within system 100.

For example, and not by way of limitation, mechanism 1200 may provideadditional pressure to beverage material 114 when mechanism 1200 isengaged by inlet nozzle 140. System 100 may be programmed to introducefluid to cartridge 1200 for a certain amount of time and then stopintroducing fluid. System 100 may then allow the fluid to drain fromcartridge 112 for a certain amount of time, and then engage mechanism1200 to pressurize the added fluid out of cartridge 112 through outletneedle 158. System 100 may then add more fluid to cartridge 112 andrepeat these steps. Such an approach is similar to a “pour over” styleof coffee brewing. Similar mechanisms 1200, beverage material 114placement, and/or fluid delivery techniques may be combined to produceother types of brewing techniques in system 100. Such techniques are notcurrently employed in related systems 100.

Variable Porosity and Flavor Additives

FIG. 13 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure. Cartridge 112 may comprise a filter 1300 whichhas a variable porosity. A portion 1302 of filter 1300 may have a firstporosity value, while portion 1304 of filter 1300 may have a secondporosity value. As such, fluid introduced into cartridge 112 may remainin portions of filter 1300 longer than in other portions of filter 1300.

For example, and not by way of limitation, portion 1302 may be lessporous than portion 1304. As such, fluid 120 that is introduced intocartridge 112 will not flow through portion 1302 as fast, or at all, asfluid 120 that reaches the level of portion 1304. This may increase thetime that fluid remains in contact with beverage material 114 that iscontained within portion 1302. As the fluid level rises in cartridge112, fluid 120 will flow out of portion 1304. This allows for moreprecise control of the time that fluid 120 remains in contact withbeverage material 114. Through programming of system 100, e.g., fluiddelivery flow rate, fluid delivery temperatures, etc., more precisebrewing profiles may be achieved with system 100 through the use ofvariable flow rate filter 1300.

Further, to allow for increased pressure within cartridge 112 whenemployed in system 100, cover 204 may be wrapped around rim 218 andadhered to a larger surface of rim 218. The cartridge body 200 may beplaced in a receptacle that allows for only small amounts of expansionof the cartridge body 200. In many cartridge 112 designs, the sealingsurface of cover 204 to cartridge body 200 along rim 218 is the locationof pressure blowouts experienced by cartridge 112. As such, increasingthe pressure and force vectors that may be experienced at that locationby encasing rim 218 with cover 204, and applying adhesive 400 to alarger surface of rim 218 (e.g., on both sides of rim 218), allows forgreater pressure to be applied within cartridge 112 with fluid 120.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, cartridge body 200 may have atextured surface, specific color, other identifying marks, and/orindicia 1320 such that brewer 100 may recognize cartridge 112 as aspecific type of cartridge 112. This recognition may be used todetermine brewing characteristics, for rewards programs, and/or for anyother reason. However, some users may try to use the same cartridge 112several times to obtain additional rewards, or may accidentally attemptto reuse a cartridge 112. Because cartridge body 200 may be made fromcellulose-based materials, and cartridge 112 may be placed underpressure when fluid 120 is delivered to cartridge 112, the pressureand/or water temperature may soften cartridge body 200. The pressurecreated by brewer 100 in delivering fluid 120 to cartridge 112 may allowfor deformation of the surface of cartridge body 200. Further, the fluid120, after passing through beverage material 114 and becoming beverage128, may change the color of cartridge body 200. As such, the use of agiven cartridge 112 in brewer 100 may alter and/or otherwise change theindicia 1320 such that the indicia 1320 no longer indicates the sameinformation to brewer 100. Such changes in the indicia 1320 will allowbrewer 100 to minimize reuse of the same cartridge 112, by alerting theuser to reuse of a given cartridge 112, and/or minimize the recognitionof cartridge 112 multiple times in rewards and/or accounting functionsperformed by brewer 100. Although indicated at a certain location oncartridge 112, indicia 1320 may appear anywhere on cartridge 112 withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure.

Many cartridges 112 have added flavors and/or essences infused intobeverage material 114. For example, some coffee beverages have hazelnutor caramel flavors infused or added to the beverage material 114. Theprocess of infusing such flavors into beverage material 114 may add tothe cost of cartridge 112, and/or the beverage material 114 may bedegraded or otherwise altered by the infusion process. In an aspect ofthe present disclosure, materials 1306 and/or 1308 may be added toand/or infused into cartridge body 200, which may provide a moreeconomical approach to inclusion of various additives in cartridge 112.

For example, and not by way of limitation, an essential oil may be addedto cartridge body 200 at location 1506 and/or infused into a portion ofor all of cartridge body 200. Since cartridge body 200 in an aspect ofthe present disclosure is cellulose-based, and is manufactured usingoils and/or other binders, the infusion process may be less expensivethan infusion of the same essential oil into beverage material 114.Further, infusion of the essential oil into cartridge body 200 may havefewer deleterious effects on beverage material 114 as well as fewerdeleterious effects on the essential oil. A smaller amount of essentialoil may be needed to provide the same flavors and/or other effects inthe resultant beverage by placing the essential oil at location 1306and/or 1308 than with beverage material 114.

Filter 1300 may also have a specialized shape 1310. Shape 1310 mayaccommodate inlet nozzle 140, or may be shaped to control one or moreprocess parameters used during and/or after the brewing process. Forexample, and not by way of limitation, shape 1310 may be used to controlthe amount of time that fluid remains in contact with beverage material114. Many shapes 1310 can be employed without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates a beverage cartridge in accordance with an aspect ofthe present disclosure. Some cartridges 112 do not have a body 200 thatfully encloses the beverage material 114. Such cartridges 112 may bereferred to as “soft pods.” One drawback of soft pods is that thebeverage material 114 may be exposed to air or other oxidizingenvironments, which may deleteriously affect the beverage material 114.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, cartridge 1400 may be designedto have a separation line that exposes filter 1300. When placed in thesystem 100, cartridge 1400 has a cartridge body 1402 that separates fromseparated portion 1404 when fluid is introduced into cartridge 1400. Theadditional pressure introduced into cartridge 1400 by fluid 1400 mayprovide separation between cartridge body 1402 and separated portion1404 such that the body 1402 and separated portion 1404 separate alongupper separation line 1406 and lower separation line 1408. Separatedportion 1404 moves away from body 1402 in direction 1408.

The upper and lower separation lines 1406/1408 may be a perforation lineon cartridge 1400. Since the pressure in system 100 may be controlled,the pressure system 100 produces can be controlled to separate cartridge1400 into body 1402 and separated portion 1404. Filter 202 may couplebody 1402 and separated portion 1404, or separated portion 1404 may notcompletely separate from body 1402. So long as pressure is released bythe separation of body 1402 and separated portion 1404, fluid enteringcartridge 1400 will flow through filter 202 once separated portion 1404has separated from body 1402. In such an aspect of the presentdisclosure, cartridge 1400 may provide better protection of beveragematerial 114 than a soft pod, and may further reduce the cost ofproduction of cartridge 1400.

The present disclosure provides several advantages over the related artapproaches. The present disclosure allows for easy separation ofcompostable and recyclable materials. The present disclosure also allowsfor safer operation of beverage systems 100 that employ cartridges 112,in that possible unwanted by-products produced by cartridge 112 duringthe operation of beverage system 100 are not produced and/or consumed.

Further, the present disclosure allows for different types of filtrationof beverage material 114, which may be desirable depending on the volumeof beverage 128 to be produced from beverage material 114 in cartridge112. The present disclosure also allows for additional types ofbeverages 128 to be produced, as well as allowing for richer, moreflavorful beverages to be produced by currently deployed beveragesystems 100. The present disclosure also provides upgrades tosingle-serve beverage systems 100 which may enable these systems toemploy brewing methods, such as craft brewing methods, that presentsystems 100 cannot accommodate.

If implemented in firmware and/or software, and/or as part ofmicrocontroller 800 and/or memory 802/804, the functions describedherein may be stored as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Examples include computer-readable mediaencoded with a data structure and computer-readable media encoded with acomputer program. Computer-readable media includes physical computerstorage media. A storage medium may be an available medium that can beaccessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, suchcomputer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or otheroptical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storagedevices, or other medium that can be used to store desired program codein the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessedby a computer (e.g., microcontroller 800); disk and disc, as usedherein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digitalversatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks usuallyreproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically withlasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

In addition to storage on computer readable medium, instructions and/ordata may be provided as signals on transmission media included in acommunication apparatus. For example, a communication apparatus mayinclude a transceiver having signals indicative of instructions anddata. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or moreprocessors (e.g., microcontroller 800) to implement the functionsoutlined in the claims.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrativelogical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described inconnection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronichardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearlyillustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, variousillustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have beendescribed above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether suchfunctionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon theparticular application and design constraints imposed on the overallsystem. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performedwith a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Astorage media may be any available media that can be accessed by ageneral purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carryor store specified program code means in the faun of instructions ordata structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose orspecial-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media.

The present disclosure is described herein with reference to certainembodiments, but it is understood that the disclosure can be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein. In particular, the present disclosure isdescribed below in regards to certain modules having features indifferent configurations, but it is understood that the presentdisclosure can be used for many other modules and/or configurations. Themodules and systems can also have many different shapes beyond thosedescribed below.

All physical dimensions, weights, temperatures, etc. in the descriptionand attached drawings are exemplary in nature. It is understood thatembodiments of the present disclosure can have variousdimensions/weights/temperatures/etc. varying from those shown in theattached drawings.

Although the present disclosure and its advantages have been describedin detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutionsand alterations can be made herein without departing from the technologyof the disclosure as defined by the appended claims. It should also beunderstood that when a feature or element may be referred to as being“on” another element, it can be directly on the other element orintervening elements may also be present unless specifically statedotherwise. Furthermore, relative terms such as “inner”, “outer”,“upper”, “above”, “lower”, “beneath”, and “below”, and similar terms,may be used herein to describe a relationship of one element orattribute to another. With regard to the figures, it is to be understoodthat these terms are intended to encompass different orientations of thedevice in addition to the orientation depicted.

Moreover, the scope of the present application is not intended to belimited to the particular configurations of the process, machine,manufacture, composition of matter, means, methods, and/or stepsdescribed in the specification. As one of ordinary skill in the art willreadily appreciate from the disclosure, processes, machines,manufacture, compositions of matter, means, methods, and/or steps,presently existing or later to be developed, that perform substantiallythe same function or achieve substantially the same result as thecorresponding configurations described herein may be utilized accordingto the present disclosure. Accordingly, the appended claims are intendedto include within their scope such processes, machines, manufacture,compositions of matter, means, methods, and/or steps.

Although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describevarious elements, components, regions, and/or sections, these elements,components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited by theseterms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component,region, or section from another element, component, region, or section.Thus, a first module, element, component, region, or section discussedbelow could be termed a second module, element, component, region, orsection without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

The description of the disclosure is provided to enable any personreasonably skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited tothe examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded thewidest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A beverage cartridge, comprising: a cartridge body having a closed end and an open end, the open end having a first diameter at an upper edge of the open end, the cartridge body comprising a cellulose-based material, in which the cartridge body is adapted to be received in a receptacle of a single-serve brewer such that the closed end of the cartridge body is piercable by a needle in the single-serve brewer; a filter, coupled to the cartridge body, such that the filter extends below the upper edge of the open end of the cartridge body; a beverage material, coupled to the filter such that the beverage material extends below the upper edge of the open end of the cartridge body; and a cover, coupled to the cartridge body, such that the cover encapsulates the beverage material within the cartridge body between the filter and the cover, the cover adapted to be pierced by a fluid nozzle in the single-serve brewer.
 2. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, in which the cover comprises a second cellulose-based material.
 3. The beverage cartridge of claim 1, the cartridge body further comprising a rim around a circumference of the open end, in which the cover is coupled to the cartridge body on the rim of the cartridge body.
 4. The beverage cartridge of claim 3, in which the cover is coupled to a first side of the rim and also coupled to a second side of the rim, the second side opposite the first side.
 5. The beverage cartridge of claim 4, further comprising a mechanism, coupled to the cartridge body, for interacting with the single-serve brewer to produce a plurality of beverages from the beverage cartridge based on the interaction between the beverage cartridge and the single-serve brewer.
 6. The beverage cartridge of claim 3, in which the cartridge body further comprises an indicia, wherein the indicia comprises an alterable characteristic that is altered when the beverage cartridge is used in the single-serve brewer.
 7. The beverage cartridge of claim 3, in which the filter is coupled to the cartridge body proximate the open end of the cartridge body.
 8. The beverage cartridge of claim 7, in which the filter is further coupled to the cartridge body proximate the closed end of the cartridge body.
 9. The beverage cartridge of claim 3, in which the filter is coupled to the cartridge body proximate the closed end of the cartridge body.
 10. The beverage cartridge of claim 3, in which the filter is toroidal in shape.
 11. The beverage cartridge of claim 3, in which the cartridge body further comprises an additive, in which at least a portion of the additive is released into a fluid that is introduced into the cartridge body during use of the cartridge in the single-serve brewer. 